Master Of None

Chapter 3026: 3026. Motivations

”I am ready to leave.” Su was double checking the last clasps on her armor. The way she wore it was as if it was always a part of her.

She hadnʼt explained all of her skills to Walker and the rest of her party, but the skill that made her look like any armor was part of her body had actually been one she had been working to advance and understand better.

The skill. One with armor, was a skill that not many guardians or defensive class holders could get. They needed full understanding of every material put in to that armor and why it was there. Beyond that, they needed to have that armor made for them and only them, just as every armor was made for Su now.

On top of these conditions, the wielder of that armor must be able to use it to its fullest abilities. Su was the epitome of using defensive armors, shields, and whatever else she could use as a method of defending others for defense.

Due to this, she fulfilled these conditions with every single piece of armor that had been crafted for her. Even the newest armors were made for her and were repaired or enhanced to be better fit for her. The wandering blacksmith and a team of craftsmen had ensured that this was the case.

The fact that the wandering blacksmith had even allowed a team of craftsmen to work with her and himself was amazing since he normally kept these projects to himself. Yet, the reason had been the sheer amount of work and strength needed to ensure that every single bit of armor was perfect for her to match this skill and to allow Su to swap armors with her spatial skill at any time necessary.

Besides this, she had several higher class armor sets that needed the assistance of multiple rune carvers and mages with specialties in crafting specific runes, molding threads, or even just ensuring that a material itself could even be used.

The skill itself ensured that he would be able to use the armor to its highest abilities, while it also put more stress on the armor, it doubled the stats given to her. Meaning that her magical defenses, specific resistances of that armor, and the physical benefits were all multiplied.

It pretty much doubled her ability to defend and use her protective abilities to the best.

On top of this, she had felt the beginning of a new skill that she had noticed and could feel in her soul.

The shield intent, something that seemed all too similar to sword intent skills related to sword masters were right there in her skills and stats. The tiny beginner at the smallest ability of development was there and it told Su that she had begun to touch on a path beyond that of her current standing as a guardian.

She knew that Walker most likely sensed a shift around her shields and how her mana mixed with this intent, something that she believed originated from her soul. But she did not say a word about it, she was on her own path and would look for the answers to her questions about herself and what she would become outside of the world.

The world was not something she disliked. She wished to protect it.

However, she saw it as something she was letting hold her back right now. If she stayed and kept doing the same things she would not have dungeons to train others in. She would not have people to protect.

Not because she would be gone or they would be gone.

Because she would lose her sense of self and only live for others sake becoming a single minded being. Not a saintess like Alice, but a blind shield user to protected but had no mind of their own to push further and become unique any longer.

That fear whispered in Suʼs ears and she also realized it was all that much louder because she was not bonded with another partner in the same ways that Walker and Alice were. In the ways that Gil and Alma were. Let alone how Remey and Ignus were.

Did she need a bond to be more? No, she did not, but she also knew that she was shutting away herself from the potential on her path now. So she had to break that path.

She had a bond with a true earth spirit. A being that represented earth mana for the world itself. Yet, she felt that bond might have weakened, not because she grew apart from it, but because she started to build internal walls and forget who she was.

Her family grew well. She had a little sibling on the way. A mother. A father. All healthy. Now, she would discover her proper path forward, and with it, she would be open minded and open hearted with all that was.

The small shift in her mana as she stood in front of the bridge to the elemental planes caught Walkerʼs attention, same with four dark dragon elders who stood beside them, Mordant almost held two more back but left four with a final decision. He had left a moment ago, but Walker still kept a careful bit of attention on all of them, despite his golem body leaving with them and not his main body.

”We are venturing in to a dangerous place, on the other side of this bridge is the dark elemental plane but it is not near a city or race. It is in the wilderness. You will not be protected and your growth will be up to you. I can place boundaries and protections that will last for some time, so take advantage of them. But if you grow to be something unable to return to the world, it is on you.”

”Su, I know you will approach this path with everything you have, and I will be there to support you. I just ask you one thing… Keep the world in mind in case you need to go off alone, weʼd miss you if you are gone too long.”

Walker spoke like he was saying goodbye for a long time, but he had to say it. To make sure that Su was ready in case she did need to leave for a while alone.

Just in case.

”We are leaders. We can only grow to fight our royal and that is not our wish. We see now that there is more to our race whether it is as dark dragons or another affinity. We need to grow and we know where to go for it. We learned from what was told about the elemental planes. It is our time and chance. We appreciate your care.”

The elder dark dragon that spoke also received nods of approval. It appeared that they had great loyalty for the dark dragons and the dragons as a whole. But with their eyes opened wider now, they knew that there was a lot more that they had never known to be possible.

They wished to pursue that and grow. Not be stagnant as they had for many years within the world.

The growth of the dragon race as a whole inspired them and gave a push.

Now they acted on that push.

Su didnʼt say a word. She just looked at Walker calmly before leading the way with twin shields carrying a few baby scales from Midnight as decoration in hand. She wielded them because she remembered the first proper twin shields she received. Enough that she could truly understand how keeping some attachment to those origins could anchor her feelings for how powerful she is now, how she had been, and how she would become.

Walker pulled space mana around their group and they leaped through the bride faster and faster. Before they even took five steps they had appeared at the cusp of the dark mana elemental plane.

The intensity of the dark mana showed they were nearing the center of the dark elemental plane but they were far from the proper center or the inner area of mana so dense it would have caused the dark elder dragon damage.

It was ideal for them and Walker pulled at manas to set up a smaller sealed space. To anchor in protecting he buffed each dragon with as they appeared to be trapped in their own minds.

”You four know of some known paths. The true dark sage may visit you or push you one way or another. There are dragons here, just different from you. I wish you luck.” Walker placed a hand on Suʼs shoulders and they disappeared leaving the four dragons with their own thoughts.

It was up to them if they grew or if they perished. Walker was allowing them that respect, a respect for a dragon wishing to pursue strength at whatever cost they were willing to pay.